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British Open 2017: 5 best moments in history

By John Buhler

24 JUL 1995: JOHN DALY OF THE USA POSES WITH THE TROPHY ON THE FAMOUS Swilken Bridge ON THE 18TH FAIRWAY ON THE MORNING AFTER WINNING THE 1995 OPEN GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP ON THE OLD COURSE AT ST. ANDREWS, FIFE, SCOTLAND. Mandatory Credit: J.D. Cuban/ALLSPORT
24 JUL 1995: JOHN DALY OF THE USA POSES WITH THE TROPHY ON THE FAMOUS Swilken Bridge ON THE 18TH FAIRWAY ON THE MORNING AFTER WINNING THE 1995 OPEN GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP ON THE OLD COURSE AT ST. ANDREWS, FIFE, SCOTLAND. Mandatory Credit: J.D. Cuban/ALLSPORT /
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18 Jul 1999: Jean Van De Velde of France looks at his ball in the burn on the 18th hole during the British Open played at the Carnoustie GC in Carnoustie, Scotland. \ Mandatory Credit: Ross Kinnaird /Allsport
18 Jul 1999: Jean Van De Velde of France looks at his ball in the burn on the 18th hole during the British Open played at the Carnoustie GC in Carnoustie, Scotland. \ Mandatory Credit: Ross Kinnaird /Allsport /

2. Jean van de Velde has ’99 problems with No. 18 -1999

If people thought Sergio Garcia’s collapse in the 2007 Open Championship was bad, then they have no idea what happened to Jean van de Velde on the 18th hole on Sunday at Carnoustie back in 1999. You can’t even make up what happened on his all-time collapse. It’s just sad.

Van de Velde was on the precipice of being the first Frenchman to win The Open Championship in 92 years. All he had to do was double bogey No. 18 at Carnoustie. He had a three-shot lead and then he completely lost it in catastrophic fashion. Rather than play conservatively, van de Velde sliced it horribly with his driver off the tee box, barely avoiding a water hazard by dumping it into the right-side burn.

He was still in a good spot to get it on the green on his third shot, but decided that he needed to get on the green immediately. van de Velde’s second shot went just about bit to the right, as it crashed into the grandstand railing, bounce off the stone wall near Barry Burn and went 50 yards in the wrong direction into some thick rough.

His third shot was terrible, too, as the rough was too rough and he hit it into Barry Burn. The lasting image of his dreadful 18th hole had him shoeless and in rolled up pants questioning if he was going to hit the submerged ball out of Barry Burn. van de Velde took a drop for his fourth stroke, careening his fifth shot into a bunker and triple-bogeyed the 18th. He would lose in the four-hole playoff to Paul Lawrie. If this wasn’t a choke job, what is?

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